| Home | > | List of families | > | Selaginellaceae | > | Selaginella | > | nivea |
| Synonyms: | |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Fern creeping, mat-forming. Stems repeatedly branched, terminating in short, rather club-shaped fascicles of leaves. Leaves randomly arranged, linear-lanceolate, 1.5-2 × 0.25 mm, margins with short cilia, apex tapering to a point and ending in a white seta 1/4 of the total leaf length. Leaves bluish-green when fresh, becoming light creamy-brown to whitish with age and breaking away. Strobilus 2.5 mm long, situated on the end of the branches. Sporophylls in 4 lines, lanceolate-ovate on the upper side, broadly ovate on the lower side. |
| Notes: | S. nivea can easily be confused with S. dregei which has a longer apical seta (a third to a quarter of the length of the leaf blade), sporophylls that are arranged in 2 ranks and leaves that have a dorsiventral arrangement along the stem. |
| Derivation of specific name: | nivea: snow white, referring to the pale colour of the dried leaves. |
| Habitat: | Open sandy places in dry Colophospermum mopane woodland. |
| Altitude range: | 200 - 400 m |
| Worldwide distribution: | Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zimbabwe |
| Mozambique distribution: | GI |
| Growth form(s): | Terrestrial. |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. (1990). Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 25 - 26. (Includes a picture). Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011). Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature Pages 86 - 87. (Includes a picture). Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 15. Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds) (2003). Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 Page 83. Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Page 144. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 10. Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 25. Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 26. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970). Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca Page 25. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 16. |
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